#140conf12 – Part 1

Steve and I attended the #140 conference in New York curated by Jeff Pulver. It is called the State of NOW. Speakers have ten minutes to tell their story. In a few rare cases the ten minute limit had to be exceeded because we needed to hear the rest of the story.

Jeff Pulver – Founder of #140conf

The speakers came from all walks of life. Everyone has a story to tell. I learned a lot about Jeff Pulver that is not in Wikipedia. He is exceedingly kind, caring, supportive, both emotionally and financially. He loves the color purple. He is a proud father. He is a music lover and music supporter. The list goes on and on. You get the idea. He is a great guy. Most importantly, he gives hugs. He knows how supportive a hug can be.

Hank Wasiak and Mark Horvath

Another great man who gives hugs is Mark Horvath. You may know him as @hardlynormal of invisiblepeople.tv. Once homeless himself, he has become a tireless advocate for the homeless. Mark has trouble raising money for the cause. People don’t want to talk about it. In today’s economy there is also a fear that they too may be homeless.

Mark is a genuine individual. He cares. Steve and I had the honor of having dinner with him on Monday evening. Then we went to the VIP Speakers reception. The weather was perfect. Everyone was in a good mood. It was a perfect way to get ready for the conference.

Steve, Hank Wasiak, Diane

Hank Wasiak wrote “The Concept Farm,” a brilliant book I highly recommend. I talked with Hank on the phone a couple of times when making connections for him to meet Chris Brogan. Then we talked about “The Concept Farm.” Hank became a celebrity I wanted to meet. On Monday Steve and I met Hank Wasiak. He is awesome AND he gives great hugs.

Geo Geller

Another guy on my list was Geo Geller. He is described as an Insultant for hire. He is a photographer, a humanitarian and a storyteller. I asked a few people “What is Geo like?” The answer is always the same. A smile and then Geo is Geo.

Geo is Geo. He is kind, witty, fun, an innovative photographer and a great story teller. I am honored to have shared a few minutes with him. And that’s not just my opinion.
Gina Stark ‏@SuuperG
((( @geogeller ))) Thanks, Geo, for being such a gentleman and fun chaperone when I missed the late train! #TimesSquarePhotoShoot

Monday night I met an incredible individual with a camera. We exchanged names. The part that I remembered was that he was very serious about the pictures he was taking and that he was Jeff Pulver’s uncle. From Monday evening until Tuesday afternoon when I had the opportunity to speak with him, he was “Uncle Pulver” in my mind. Names are very important, I wanted to make sure I knew his name. Glad I asked, I had it all wrong. His name is Jerry Hirsch @unclejerrynevada.

Jerry Hirsch

When I told him that I had been calling him “uncle” he told me a beautiful story about how to remember names. Everyone has a story to tell and everyone is important.

To be continued …..